Over My Head
by Seiji and Shizuku 4ever
Summary: "Oh, yeah? What're you thinking about, then?" Tenten challenged. Neji's answer stunned her into silence. "..You." /Everyone knows I'm in over my head...eight seconds left in overtime, she's on your mind.../ NejiTen oneshot.


**A/N: Okies, so it's been a super-long time since I've gotten around to writing a good NejTen, so I thought I'd upload this! ^_^ My sister, Caraqueen, and I were messing around one night and came up with this. Thanks, sis! x33 She played a big part. ^.^ This is really just a pointless time-waster, nothing special. xDD But I hope y'all like it anyway, it was fun to write! =3 This takes place in the original Naruto. Somewhere in the early 100's, episode-wise.**

**Neji, pleeease, won't you do the honors? *_***

**Neji:..Hn. I suppose.. ridiculous. -_- Taylor doesn't own Naruto and never will. You think a girl with a mental capacity such as hers would devise something as complex as Naruto, the anime and manga? ..How pathetically ignorant. 9.9**

***nodnod* Yeah, what he said! xDDD**

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><p>Neji and Tenten were both panting, chests heaving from the result of an intense training session. Tenten all but collapsed under a tree, trying to catch her breath. Neji was gathering his weapons together, straightening as he finished. Without a mere glance at TenTen, he began to walk away. "I'm breaking for lunch. Join me if you wish."<p>

Pleased at the invitation, Tenten brightened. "Sure, I'll go!"

Neji didn't acknowledge her answer other than pausing momentarily so she could catch up. "Come along, then."

All weariness from a few seconds ago forgotten, Tenten jumped up to join him, matching his pace. "Training was good today, huh?" Their typical conversation-starter.

Neji kept his gaze leveled ahead. "I suppose it'll do - for now. We'll consider it a warm-up."

TenTen suppressed both a chuckle and a sigh. Annnd the typical Neji response. "Yeah." They walked along in companionable silence.

Then there was a twist. Neji turned surprisingly courteous. "Where would you like to eat?" Usually he made the decisions without any input.

She was surprised into silence for a few seconds, but quickly composed herself. "Anywhere but Ichiraku's," she replied honestly. "I'm kinda itching for somewhere quiet." She knew he'd appreciate that. Neji hated the ruckus of public. He'd much rather prefer a serene environment.

"Very well." Once they entered the village, Neji stopped at the barbecue place and opened the door for TenTen.

"My, you're quite the gentleman today," Tenten couldn't resist teasing as she stepped inside.

Neji slightly frowned as he followed her. "..I can be one. Depends on which day you catch me on." He spotted a secluded duo table and headed toward it, brushing past Tenten.

"Well then, looks like today's my lucky day." TenTen hid a smile, taking a seat at the table.

Neji didn't answer, but one side of his mouth quirked as he sat across from her. The trace of a closest thing to a smile the Hyuga had ever gotten quickly disappeared as the waiter approached them for drinks. "..Water for me." The withdrawn hardness of his voice and eyes was back. Only around Tenten had he ever dropped his cold guard.

"Water for me, too, please," TenTen said politely.

When the waiter returned with their drinks, Neji ordered the kind of meat they'd like to grill (he and Tenten both liked the same kind) and turned on the grill after the waiter had left. Meanwhile Ino, sitting with Choji and Shikamaru across the way, caught sight of them and made her way over with a grin.

"Oh, boy, there she goes again," Shikamaru groaned, hiding his face behind a menu. "What a drag.." Choji just grinned in response.

"Hey, Tenten, Neji!" Ino gushed in her poisoningly sweet, people-friendly voice. "You two are _such _a cute couple!" she squealed, pressing her hands together.

Neji raised an eyebrow. "..."

TenTen couldn't help the involuntary redness that crept up her neck and spread across her cheeks. "We are _not _a couple," she protested firmly.

Ino looked surprised. "Oh. Well, you could've fooled me. You guys are together _all _the time!" she giggled. Neji purposely ignored her, feigning interest in the ice cubes inside his glass.

TenTen felt very oddly defensive. A twinge of embarrassment pricked her. Now Neji would be all isolated all day afterwards. He was just like that after certain confrontations with people. "Well, what did you expect? We're part of the _same squad,_" she said in a 'duh' tone of voice, brown eyes narrowing.

"I mean even when it's _not _squad time. You two are practically inseparable!" Ino smirked, as if she knew something they didn't. Her calculating blue eyes surveyed them. "Well, I'd better get back to mine. See ya!" She flounced back to her table.

Neji rolled his eyes. "What a failure."

"Utter fail," Tenten agreed. Although the bright color had faded, her cheeks were still pink.

The tiniest hint of a smirk played on Neji's lips. "You look embarrassed," he observed.

"No!" TenTen answered too quickly, then caught herself. "I mean, it's just.. I'm so hot..! Is it hot in here?" She fanned her face for emphasis, feeling her cheeks heat even more. _Stupid!_

Neji watched in concealed amusement. "No." The waiter returned with their order of meat.

Tenten sipped her water, avoiding her teammate's scrutinizing gaze. He could read her like a book. If she gave him the privilege of direct eye contact, he'd know the thoughts swimming through her mind. "Food's here," she said stupidly.

"I see that." Neji's tone of voice was slow, as if he were consulting a young child too dumb for its own good. He began laying strips across the grill. TenTen's blush faded as she watched the meat sizzle, steam rising up. Without looking up, Neji addressed her. "How do you like yours?"

"Medium rare," Tenten said, then out of curiosity, "You?" Even though she had a pretty good idea. They hadn't been comrades over two years for nothing.

Just as TenTen spectulated, Neji answered, "Well done." He turned the meat over with his chopsticks.

Then the most absurd thought struck her, and her bad habit of thinking aloud kicked in now. "Like you!" TenTen blurted out, mortified as the words slipped out. She was usually so careful about that. The simplest mistake meant weakness in Neji's book.

Neji stopped, looking up at her slowly, his blue-gray eyes registering slight surprise. "..What?" The usual guard over his eyes slid back into place as he quirked an eyebrow, but not before Tenten noticed his surprise.

TenTen swallowed, her sharp mind quickly devising a retaliation. "Hard on the outside.. and still kinda hard on the inside. But a little, teensy weensy bit softer." She smiled sheepishly, having actually meant his striking good looks the first time.

Neji softened a bit, surveying her. "..Oh." He returned to cooking the meat. "..So now you're comparing me to a steak." His voice was less hard than it usually was, and only TenTen would know that he, in his own way, was teasing her.

Tenten grinned. "Delicious."

The brow shot up higher. "..Tenten, did you hit your head during training?" Neji inquired.

TenTen smirked. "I didn't get much sleep."

"That would explain it." Neji hid a smile as he seasoned the meat. With one more flip he finished the medium rare and spooned them onto Tenten's plate. "Penny for your thoughts," he said, noticing TenTen's pensive gaze.

Tenten nodded in thanks as she picked up her chopsticks to eat. "They're worth more than _that,_" she grinned.

"Doubtful." Neji's eyes held a slight jesting overtone as he continued to simmer his meat, adding prime rib to the mix.

"At least they're _interesting,_" TenTen shot back. "I bet _your _thoughts are nothing but the main branch and/or training manuevers!"

"You'd think so, wouldn't you?" Neji retorted dryly, tenderizing the ribs with a BBQ sauce. "You'd be surprised."

TenTen leaned her elbows on the table. "Oh, yeah? What're you thinking about, then?" she challenged.

Neji stopped, looking at her in a mix between incredulousness and amusement. "And why should I tell _you?_"

Tenten smiled mischievously. "Ok, let's strike a deal. My thoughts for your thoughts," she bargained.

Neji drummed his fingers on the table. "Our current ones?" He took off his well done meat and placed them onto his plate.

"Yep. You go first." TenTen's brown eyes held a twinkle.

Neji studied her for the longest time. Just as she was about to tell him to hurry up and answer, he did. "You." He took a bite of his meat. No way was he going into detail about what his thoughts of Tenten consisted of - how pretty she was able to look in her rugged tomboy way after training. Were Hyuga's even supposed to feel that way? "Your turn."

Tenten blinked in complete shock. Now _that _she hadn't been expecting. Of course he would think about her, if she was sitting right across from him. It didn't mean that he was thinking about her the way she always thought about him. A little disappointed at this revelation, she straightened. "Your eyes have no pupils," she answered, matching his vagueness. _His eyes are so pretty.._

Neji seasoned the ribs and split them between him and Tenten. "You're just now realizing this?"

"It was just on my mind." Tenten bit into a rib, then studied him. "..What, exactly, were you thinking about me?" She had to know. It. Was. Killing. Her.

Neji smirked. "You didn't say I had to go into detail. You said to answer, and so I did."

Tenten glared at him. "It's only fair if the thoughts are about _me!_" She decided to play the route Neji would _have _to answer to to salvage his manly Hyuga pride. "..You wouldn't say that unless you had something to hide," she added in a sing-song voice.

Neji scoffed. "Don't be ridiculous." _It's a little unnerving how close she is to the truth.._

Tenten decided to drop it and they ate in silence. Neji watched her when she wasn't looking. Eventually she tried to fill the awkward silence. "So, anything new?"

"No, not really." Neji paused momentarily. "..They passed a new regulation in the Hyuga clan recently. It applies to both main and side branches." He downed his water.

"And what would that be?" Tenten asked, curious. She hadn't heard.

Neji turned his attention to slicing his meat as he spoke. "We can marry outside the clan." He let that hang in the air a minute. "It used to be forbidden."

The sides of Tenten's mouth inched up. Was he trying to drop a hint in his Neji-like way? She all but sprang out of her chair. "So that's good news?"

Neji shrugged. "Depends on how you look at it." He finished his food, hating how he couldn't just come out and say, _"Of course it's good news! It means you and I could maybe have a future together!" _..He really was a coward when it came down to it, in other ways.

Typical Neji response. Tenten tried harder. "And just how do _you _look at it?"

"Well, I suppose it has as many advantages as well as disadvantages." His voice was stoic, revealing nothing.

"Disadvantages?" Tenten raised an eyebrow.

"Hyugas wouldn't be quite complete, purebred Hyugas," Neji explained with a smirk. "More like crossbreeds."

That was the last straw. Something awakened inside TenTen and ignited her eyes. "Sometimes you _need _to mix things up a little! Same old, same old gets boring. You're just passing down the same old traits. Some new blood would be refreshing!" she snapped with intensity.

Neji looked at her with a tiny hint of amused smugness. "..I didn't realize you felt so strongly about the subject."

Tenten blushed, averting her gaze as she realized just how much she'd let slip. "I've given it some thought," she said quietly, evasive.

Neji smirked. "I can't imagine why." He gave a pointed look at her plate. "Are you finished?"

"Huh?" Tenten looked down at her nearly untouched plate, having lost her appetite. "..Sure."

Neji grabbed a to-go box and handed it to TenTen, laying money down on the table before standing. Tenten gathered her food into the box and followed suit. "I could've paid." Her feisty mood still in tact, her eyes took on a scary fierceness. "Did you pay because you think girls can't pay for _themselves _on a date?" It slipped right out of her mouth in her mirth. Realizing her words, Tenten gasped.

"..Date?" Neji repeated, staring hard at her. "..I merely paid because I was the one who invited you here. If you want to chip in, be my guest." He shook his head slowly before repeating, "..._Date?_"

TenTen swallowed, at a loss. "I meant to say... day." He wouldn't buy it, and she knew it.

"..Pathetic." Neji headed for the door.

Tenten looked immensely irritated as she stormed after him. "It was a slip of the tongue, Sir-I-Never-Make-A-Mistake!"

"I have a feeling that wasn't the case," Neji said without turning. "..And geniuses don't make mistakes."

Boy, but Tenten wanted to whop him a good one. "_Everyone _makes mistakes, Neji. Quit being so superior!"

"Well, I don't. This has been predetermined." Neji walked out.

Tenten balled her fists at her sides, keeping her fury in check. She grabbed a banana from a nearby shopping cart, deciding right then she would do whatever it took to make Neji eat his words. She tossed the peel in front of his path.

Neji easily sidestepped it and gave Tenten a _"you've gotta be kidding" _look over his shoulder. "..What's your objective here? To prove how immature you are?"

Tenten pointed and gasped. "Heyy, a banana peel! How did _that _get here?" Lame save - again.

Neji raised an eyebrow, not convinced in the least. "..Hn."

In her rage and distraction in trying to convince Neji, Tenten failed to notice the banana peel looming on the sidewalk before her and slipped on it, falling forward. Neji's eyes rounded as he reached out and caught her swiftly in his sturdy arms before she could hit the ground, helping her aright. It was an absentminded reflex.

Tenten immediately straightened, jerking out of his arms and instantly wishing she hadn't. "..Hmph."

Neji smirked. "..What was that you were saying?" Tenten looked haughty, not gracing him with a response. He meanwhile continued his brisk pace. "What's the matter? Can't take what you dish out, TenTen?"

"_I'm _not the one who said they never mistakes."

"Because then that would be a lie coming from you," Neji finished, not even skipping a beat and inwardly amused. How he loved giving her a hard time.

Tenten glowered, deciding that it was pointless to continue arguing with him. It was taking a toll on her already exhausted state. She turned from him silently, trying to suppress the hurt that welled inside her. Sure, nobody was perfect, but apparently she was just another failure in Neji's book. Had she been impeccably stupid to think they shared a special friendship, a bond? Maybe she didn't know him as well as she thought she did.

Neji stopped at her lack of response, turning around and assessing her rigid form. Why couldn't the words he _wanted _to say ever come out right? He quietly walked up behind her, placing a hand on her shoulder. She stiffened but didn't pull away, to Neji's internal relief. He leaned in close, dipping his head. His lips brushed her ear, his whispered words leaving goosebumps on Tenten in their wake.

"For the record..earlier I was thinking about how pretty you are." Neji hesitated, pausing for just a moment, his voice softening. "..And you're perfect just the way you are, give or take. I wouldn't change a thing about you."

Then he was gone.

TenTen turned around, her senses buzzing and tingles coursing down her spine. A slow, warm smile spread across her face to where it practically glowed, her eyes sparkling.

Well, that was a confession if she'd ever heard one. She couldn't squelch the laugh that bubbled up inside her and escaped, couldn't help squealing a little. Had the fathomless, emotionless Neji Hyuga just said those words to her? It seemed too good to be true! Tenten practically skipped the rest of the way home.

Meanwhile Neji, from his vantage point in a nearby tree, allowed a quiet, intimate smile to curve his porcelain features. Maybe being so open wasn't such a bad thing, after all.

And Neji was anew aware of ever so glad he was that the marriage rule in the Hyuga clan had been passed.

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><p><strong>AN: Lol, I just realized that Neji quoted two song titles in the latter part of his confession to Tenten. xDDD "Just the Way You Are" (by Bruno Mars) and "Wouldn't Change A Thing" (by Joe Jonas and Demi Lovato). ..Funny. X33 Speaking of songs, "Over My Head" by The Fray popped into my mind while I was writing this, hence the title. x3**

**Anywhoozle, this turned out better than I thought it would! YAY FOR NEJTENNESS! =DDD *squeals like a fangirl* 833 Hope y'all liked it! Feedback and reviews would be greatly appreciated! 8D Thankies!**


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